Monday, February 8, 2021

Bean Bag


Every year, Olga -- or any of the other four-legged denizens of our garden -- knocks flowers off our daffodils. So we always wind up with a windowsill like this, with broken-off flower stalks in the bud vase and decapitated buds in the shot glass. Daffodils, fortunately, are very hardy, and they always bloom even in this condition.

We have a regular winter wonderland out there this morning, after getting light snow throughout the day yesterday and overnight. It's not as nice as our snowfall a couple of weeks ago. This is a harder, crustier, less picturesque coating that's supposed to make travel even more of a challenge. I plan to walk to work this morning as usual. I'll be careful, I promise.

We stayed in most of the day yesterday, although Olga did demand a walk in the afternoon. I bundled up and took her around the neighborhood, even though it was 34ยบ F and sleeting. Fortunately she was content with a walk up the high street and through the nearby housing estate and didn't insist on going all the way to the cemetery or, God forbid, the Heath.

I mentioned our old and new floor lamps in my post yesterday. Just so you can see what I'm talking about, here's the...


...old lamp, and here...


...is the more basic but much more functional new lamp. I did move the old lamp into the foyer, and when I turned it on to take its picture, I realized it actually creates pretty nice light in there. So maybe we'll just keep it. Now it's in a place where occasional flickering isn't so annoying.

Here's another recent home improvement purchase:


What the heck is that, you say? Well, it's a beanbag chair -- a really huge beanbag chair. Bigger than I expected when I ordered it, frankly. But that's fine. Olga and I can use it together!

Dave and I have been figuring out how best to use our space during this lockdown time. Normally we both sit in the living room, but now that he's conducting Zoom classes in his recliner, I'd rather not be there. I can't read or focus on other things when he's trying to corral chattering kids on his computer. So this beanbag enables me to go sit in the dining room and read. It's called a Bazaar Bag or something like that, and it's easy to move around so I can take it wherever I want to go -- even out into the garden.

We bought Olga a new dog bed, too, but somehow I think she'll be in the bean bag. When I was a kid, my brother and I had bean bag chairs in our living room. Our dogs, Herman and Hoover, normally lived outdoors, but when Mom wasn't home we'd occasionally bring them inside for a bath, and then we'd let them lounge in the bean bags. From then on, they made it a mission to shoot into the house the minute we opened the door so that they could claim their bean bag space. I still remember the way Herman would hurtle into the chair. I wish I had a video of that, because it was really funny -- she thought that bean bag was the best thing ever. (Yes, Herman was a girl. So was Hoover. We didn't choose the names, but somehow, they fit!)

One of my few pictures of Herman

43 comments:

e said...

Looks like a fun chair!

Moving with Mitchell said...

That's a beanbag bed! I bought my girlfriend a fake leather beanbag chair in the early '70s. A splurge gift. I love both lamps.

Frances said...

I would not be able to either get in or out of that bean bag with any elegance at all!!
The old lamp looks very nice in that little corner...made for it!

David said...

Love both the old and the new lamps. I think both are worth keeping. Like Frances, I would not be able to get into, or more importantly, out of a beanbag, elegantly or otherwise. These days, I spurn even regular arm chairs/sofas in favour of an upright dining chair.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

"Something like that..." I believe that is actually a Bizarre Bean Bag in a nice shade of brussel sprout. I hope that Olga does not pierce it with her lethal badger claws.

crafty cat corner said...

My honest opinion is that I prefer the old light, just saying.
Love the beanbag but would probably be like a beached whale trying to get up if I managed to get down on it. lol
Briony
x

Ursula said...

The frog is - as frogs should be - very green. Does it make a becoming foil to your complexion? Olga, what with her stark black and white contrasts, will be your resident Anna Wintour though I prefer to think of Olga as the original Gloria Vanderbilt.

You are a keeper (of things), Steve, aren't you. If ever I needed a spot to rest my flickering self I'd knock at your door. And keep that atmospheric lamp of yours company. We'd glow off each other. Full marks to your new lighting. Sometimes function wins over beauty. You can always light a candle to add an ambience.

U

Ms. Moon said...

We used to have that exact same lamp- your new one, that is. We had it for years before it bit the dirt.
Your windowsill is very cheerful. I do like it.

Bob said...

We have had a week or so of drizzly gray skies and cool temperatures,, but awoke this morning to cold temps and a brilliant blue sky. Cold, but gorgeous ... like me men!
Maybe it's just me, but I love the old light!
And that bean bag chair is amazing; I love the idea of lounging in the garden in that. I may have to search for one for my yard!

Debby said...

That is quite a versatile piece of furniture! As a side note, your old lamp is not really a reading lamp, so I understand why you replaced it...and say...I'd sure like to get a closer look at your floors. Is that parquet? Not to sound like an oleo commercial or anything.

Sharon said...

I like that old lamp and Herman is adorable. I'm happy to say, we are going to have a sunny week with above average temps. Maybe I can get some more walks in.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised by how much snow you've had this winter. Is it more than usual?
I love that old floor lamp. I'm glad you're keeping.
I haven't thought of beanbag chairs in years. We had one a long time ago. Pretty comfy, if I remember correctly. Love the Herman pic!

Red said...

Here , your new lamp is called pole lamp. I've had one for over 50 years and it doesn't flicker but the nuts holding the lamps in position are stripped so I can't put the lamps where I want them.

Steve Reed said...

We like it!

Steve Reed said...

Bean bags were very '70s. That's when we had ours, too. Remember how they went flat after a while? The beans got all crushed down. We'll see if that still happens!

Steve Reed said...

Elegance is unnecessary when you're in your own house! The lamp does fit that corner well.

Steve Reed said...

It may become a challenge for me in the not-too-distant future!

Steve Reed said...

I think the color is called lime. Brussel sprout would be a darker shade. The fabric is actually quite tough -- I think it could withstand Olga's scratching. I guess we'll see!

Steve Reed said...

The old one is more elegant but it's not as functional. We need something that eats up fewer bulbs (there are eight bulbs in that old lamp!) and allows us to direct the light.

Steve Reed said...

Whether Anna or Gloria, Olga definitely wins the elegance prize over me! I'm actually NOT a keeper of things, usually, but I hate waste and I'm loathe to throw something out if I think no one else will want to use it. (And in this case we DO need more light in the foyer, so why not?)

Steve Reed said...

Those pole lamps were super-popular once upon a time. I used to have one too, that I bought in a Goodwill back in the late '80s and refurbished. I suppose it's in a landfill by now.

Steve Reed said...

Cold and gorgeous can be a good combo, but I prefer warm and gorgeous. I'll let you know how the Bazaar Bag works outdoors!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, it isn't the most practical lamp. The floors are wood with inlay around the edges. I assume they're original to the house, which would make them roughly 100 years old.

Steve Reed said...

Herman was a good dog. I wish I'd let her play on the bean bag more often.

Steve Reed said...

Nah, this is about right, actually. We usually get two or three good snowstorms, and this is our second one. We'll probably get at least one more before spring springs!

Steve Reed said...

This one was marketed as a "tree lamp," but yes, I've heard them called pole lamps too! Some of them, in the old days, had adjustable poles that went all the way from floor to ceiling, as I recall.

Margaret said...

I like the old lamp too, but flickering would drive me nuts. I would wait for it to flicker. (like a chirping smoke detector) Bean bags are back in? Yowsa. Like everyone my age, I had one, but these days, I'm not sure I could get out of it once I sat down. :)

Ellen D. said...

I had a pole lamp similar to yours but it went all floppy on me so it would only point straight down. It lasted a long time tho before that. Got rid of it in 2020. Looks like a comfy bean bag chair but I am with the group that is too old to get back up out of it! Curses!

Catalyst said...

Once, back in the hippy-dippy days, we had a huge bean bag in our living room. If I can find a photo, I'll run it Thursday. I have no idea what happened to it.

The Bug said...

We had snow Saturday - night. It was gorgeous! Big fluffy flakes - so pretty. We got maybe an inch & it's mostly gone now (and did not hinder traffic at all). Fun!

I don't know if I'd be able to get back out of that chair, but I'd like to try it out anyway. I could always use my usual method of getting off the floor - get on all fours & crawl to a chair so it can help me haul myself up. Ha!

37paddington said...

Herman looks just like my daughter's dog! I'm revealing myself to say you must be very spry to lounge in that bean bag chair. But a lovely green it is.

Anonymous said...

I like the old lamp with its warm glow. Dogs can constantly amuse us with their antics.

Michael said...

Love the lamp, love the bean bag chair, and most of all I loved the story of Herman and Hoover (and Olga) I love dog stories. They are the best.

Janie Junebug said...

I haven't seen a bean bag chair in a long time! Herman had a cute face. I hope Olga's upset tummy is gone.

Love,
Janie

Steve Reed said...

The flickering was the clincher for getting a new lamp. We just couldn't stand it.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, they do that after a while, don't they? The pole lamp I had back in the late '80s went floppy, too.

Steve Reed said...

Oh yeah, find a picture! Bean bags were the thing back in those days.

Steve Reed said...

Ha! Our dining room table is nearby, so I could always use that to pull myself to my feet if necessary. :)

Steve Reed said...

We always said Herman was a schnauzer mix, but I think that was being charitable. She was a complete mutt.

Steve Reed said...

It did put out nice light, when it wasn't flickering!

Steve Reed said...

I really wish a had a video to round it out! But of course none of us could easily take videos back in those days.

Steve Reed said...

We have a few like this at school, which gave me the idea to get one in this style. Olga's stomach seems to have recovered, thank goodness!

Sabine said...

I love that bean bag seat but I try to imagine myself getting off it . . . grrr. Age and arthritis.